Driving mechanism for bicycles



(No Model.)

W. PINGUSV DRIVING MECHANISM FOR BIOYGLES.

No. 599,065. Patented Feb. 15, 1898..

WITNESSES INVENTOR NITED STATES PATENT rrrcn,

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR BICYC LES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,065, dated February 15, 1898.

Application filed October 30, 1896. Elerial No. 610,543. (No modeL) To all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER PIN OUs, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphiaand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Driving Mechanism for Bicycles; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements'in chainless bicycles, and has for its object to provide a novel form of gearing for.

connecting the crank-shaft to the rear driving-wheel, as more fully set forth hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figurel is a sectional elevation on the line 1 1, Fig. 2, of a bicycle-gearing constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of one pair of the connecting-gears. Fig. 4 is a partly-sectional view showing one end of the connecting-shaft and one of the gearwheels detached therefrom, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a modified form of gear-wheels.

One of the principal objections to chaingearing is the accumulation of dirt and grit, which increases the friction to a very considerable extent and which cannot be prevented by any of the ordinary protective casings. The same objection applies to nearly all other forms of gearing connections, owing to the fact that it is very difficult to. provide them with a dust-proof covering.

In carrying out my invention I provide an absolutely dust-proof casing for all parts of the gearing, the parts of the casing near the gears being removable, so that the gears may be readily examined or removed.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the cran k-shaft, passing through the usual cran khanger B and provided with adjustable cones b,which form,with cups carried by the hanger, the usual ball-races c. On this crank-shaft is secured a spiral gear D, which intermeshes with a similar spiral spring E, carried bya horizontal shaft F, extending to the hub of the rear or driving wheel and there carrying a spiral gear G, intermeshing with a similar spiral gear H on the hub of saidrwheel.

From the hanger B-extends a preferably integral casing 19, which surrounds the two spiral gears D E, and the rear portion of the frame is provided with a casing I, from which extends a hard to the top of the seat-post. The casing b and the casing I are connected by a tube J, which formsone of the rear'brac ing-bars and is brazed at each end to sockets in the casings.

Through the tube J extends the shaft F, provided near each end with a collar f, and

from thence to the ends of shaft are feathers g for the reception of the spiral gears E G, as shown more clearlyin Fig. 4, each gear-wheel being readily removed .from position'by sliding it off the end of the shaft.

The spiral gears E and G are respectively formed integral with cups e g, each of which forms part of a ball-race, the opposite half of which isformed by adj Listing-screws M N, respectivel y carried by plates m n, screwing into threaded openings in the ends of the casings.

The openings in the casings are larger than the diameter of the spiral gears, so that when occasion requires the gears may be readily removed. The shaft F can also be easily drawn from its position in the tube J and all of the parts disconnected when cleaning or repairs are required. This construction enables the rider to change his gears very readily when necessary, and he can carry with him several gears E, having teeth of different inclination, but of thesame pitch, any one of which may be placed in position on the end of the shaft F to mesh with the gear D on the crank-shaft.

The adj ust-ing-screws M N enable the rider to properly move the shaft F longitudinally and to adjust both the ball-bearings and the position of the shaft.

In a gearing connection such as described all the working parts are inclosed in such manner as to render the entrance of dirt and grit impossible, and all parts may be made of a standard uniform size, so as, to be interchangeable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

. The combination on a bicycle, of the rear driving-wheel hub, the crank-axle, gears on with the ball-bearing surfaces on the ends of the wheel-hub and the crank-shaft, gear-casthe adjusting-screws M N, and antifrictionings carried by the fixed frame of the machine, balls between the cups and the ends of the a tube J in the form of a rear bracing-bar exscrews, substantially as specified.

5 tendingbetween said gear-casings, removable In testimony whereof I affix my signature I5 end plates 7%, 'n on said gear-casings, adjustin presence of two Witnesses.

ing-screws M,-N, carried by said plates, a con- WALTER PINCUS. nectingshaft extending Within the tube J, Witnesses: gears carried by said shaft, each of said gears J. DANIEL EBY,

10 having a ball-bearing cup adapted to coact J. WILLIAM MORGAN. 

